John LeBoutillier
Tuesday, July 3, 2001

To understand who could replace Cheney you first have to understand the unique vice presidency created in this Bush administration.

Dick Cheney's personal relationship with former president Bush paved the way for him to work on the selection one year ago of a vice presidential running mate for G.W. Bush.

From that job he emerged as the perfect choice.

Ego-less, loyal and with no political ambitions of his own, Dick Cheney was clearly the absolutely perfect choice to serve as vice president for this particular president.

This was immediately underscored during the presidential transition when Cheney was put in charge of the entire enterprise!

Ordinarily, Veeps are assigned to some remote office on a different floor during the transition – and have to beg for extra tickets to the balls!

But not Dick Cheney. No, he ran the entire 'staffing up' of the Bush administration.

And, since taking office, Dick Cheney is involved behind the scenes in every major decision – from energy to China to the Lawyers' Bill of Rights … uh ... oh … excuse me, the Patients' Bill of Rights.

The Veep is, in effect, the Chief Operating Officer of this administration.

To lose him could be almost fatal to the Bush team.

But prudent planning requires a backup plan. There has to be someone who could fill Cheney's huge shoes.

That 'someone' has to have these key qualities:

1) Total loyalty to the Bush family

2) No political ambition of his/her own, but good political judgment

3) Wide-ranging background – including politics and COO of a major corporation

4) Be confirmable by the House and Senate

Who in politics has these unique qualities?

Well, while the so-called mainstream media already again tout Colin Powell, he has major flaws:

1) He is not loyal to the Bushes. He is on record as having said some horrible things about former president Bush.

2) Powell is loyal to Powell. Period!

3) His wife – a very nice woman – once told a mutual friend that she feared her husband would be shot if he were to run for and win either the presidency or the vice presidency.

4) His first five months as secretary of state have been underwhelming, to say the least.

So, forget Powell – despite the never-ending McCain-like media love affair with him.

So, who is the Veep should Cheney’s heart fail?

The only man or woman who even comes close to fitting the criteria listed above is Defense Secretary Don Rumsfeld. Let us examine how he qualifies:

1) A former congressman, White House chief of staff and Cabinet officer in the 1960s-1970s, Rumsfeld was Cheney's mentor.

2) Also like Cheney, Rummy headed into the business world and ran Merck and other corporations.

3) At 68, he has long ago given up hope of again running for office.

4) Would the Senate – now barely in Democratic hands – confirm Rumsfeld? Yes, because he is no long-term threat to them.

One red-flagged potential problem: Back in the 1960s when he and former president Bush were young up-and-comers in the House, they were not close. And in 1987-1988, Rummy began running for president against Vice President G.H.W. Bush.

But apparently this President Bush likes Rumsfeld – and the father may be more comfortable with Rummy than with anyone else.

So there you have it.

Let’s hope we never find out how accurate this analysis is.

Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
Bush Administration